I bought a Golf 1.6 SE (import) last year and registered it with VW on their system by sending them the data sticker etc. I think it is set up for long life service (20,000 miles)-I've seen the ref QG1 (or CQ1) on the data sticker, the sticker on the side of the door (in German) and the big yellow tag under the bonnet which all say it's on lonlife service.
I've been to my local VW dealer to confrm the above and see when it will need to be serviced - he took a strange amount of pleasure in telling me that as it was an import he could not tell whether it was set up on long life servicing even though he checked VW's database (nice to know the dealers have been feeling the pinch because of imports eh?). All in all he was not very helpful.
My main concern is that I don't want to invalidate the warranty by not taking it for a service at 10,000 miles (or 20,000 miles as the case may be). Can any one help or guide me - I've spoken to VW today who say that all I have to do is to take it for a service when the light tells me to - is this correct? I'd like to believe what they tell me but from my experiences to date I'm concerned (oh and when I asked for the advice to be confirmed in writing there was a lot of sweating and excuses as to why that could not be done) Any help will be appreciated.
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Hi Ravster
Not surprised at the VW dealer attitude, much the same as I experienced when they discovered my Passat was an import. In fact when I go in there now its quite funny to watch the service receptionist scuttle up to whoever I am talking to and hiss pantomine fashion "its an import".
That aside however your service indicator will appear 2000 miles before your service is due and start to countdown regardless of which servcing type you are set up for. On a fixed regime this can be as early as 6.5k if you do lots of short trips or somewher nearer 20k on longlife.
If you are worried about invalidating the warranty I hope your experience of getting warranty work done on an import is better than mine. Despite notifying the work whilst the one year warranty was in force the "parts did not come in" during the warranty period and they "forgot" to phone me. When I chased this they had "lost all the records due to computer changeover" and only becuase I had purchased an extended warranty will the work be done (eventually).
Hope this helps BTW getting a service done at 10k or one year should not affect your warranty regardless of longlife or fixed interval set up.
as ever
Mark
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Hi Mark
Thanks for the info-much appreciated. Let's hope VW dealers begin to change their attitudes (don't hold your breath!)
regards
Ravster
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This is not strictly answering the thread, but...
I imported a VW Golf 1.6 SE automatic for my wife in 1999.
I had absolutely no choice: my local UK VW dealer was quoting at the time, I'm not kidding, £16,890 for the car (with options). They refused *ANY* discount negotiation. Their attitude was so beligerent it made me so angry-I called BVBA Ostende motors (VW dealer) in Belgium who supplied the same car for £14,390 and that included the ferry ticket and the flowers.
Touch wood I have not had any problems with the car (even though it was actually made in Brazil), and are very happy with it. But everytime we take it in for a service at VW we get the 'its an import' remark, and are treated like lepers.
So would I buy a UK-supplied VW, even though they have dropped their prices when they said they-would-not-so-that-the-loyal-VW-customer-who-overpaid-for-their-ca
rs-would-not-feel-cheated?
Absolutely not!!
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Hi Daryld
You dont use a North Cheshire VW dealer do you by any chance.
If not then my experience is not isolated to a particular dealer but could well be widespread policy against VW owners who like VW UK have chosen to import their own cars.
as ever
Mark
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Not sure about VW policy on imports - I think they have a problem with customer service regardless. My Golf is not an import and the service I have received is less than acceptable. Nice cars shame about the dealers! My next car will probably be Japanese!
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darld,
"So would I buy a UK-supplied VW, even though they have dropped their prices when they said they-would-not-so-that-the-loyal-VW-customer-who-overpaid-for-their-ca
rs-would-not-feel-cheated?
Absolutely not!!"
After several VWs it was just this attitude that I got! I walked away - no more VW/Audis for me (import or otherwise). Shame you gave the group your import business.
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In fact when I go in there now its quite funny to watch the service receptionist scuttle up to whoever I am talking to and hiss pantomine fashion "its an import".
Pleased I'm not the only one who sees this, I get the same all the time at Jennings if I go in with my Fiesta. So I stopped going and went to Arriva instead. :)
Blue
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Ravster, I would go for the 10000mile service interval, at least there will be less hassel if you need to claim later.
I think these long service intervals are a gimmick to sell cars anyway.
Imagine the state of the car/engine if you waited til 20000miles. My wife has a new car and she only does 6000miles/year.Sticking to 20000miles would give over 3years between services, and of course some people will do just that.
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There is a lot of confusion about this and many people get it wrong (including some dealer staff). The position is :
Extended Service Regime. Lubrication service at 12 months/10,000 miles. Main inspection service, 24 months, 20,000 miles. The only change is that the inspection service is extended from 12 months/10,000 miles to 24 months/20,000 miles.
Variable Service Regime. Servicing required according to how the car is driven somewhere from 9,000 miles to 19,000 miles. The car's computer will tell you. VW state that this is suited to cars that travel 'less than the average' annual mileage.
If your car has specification code QG1 - this simply means that the car is capable of being serviced via either method.
I have a 2002 Golf bought from a franchised dealer (good price/excellent service) and personally, I change the oil every 5,000 miles per HJ's advice within the extended service regime.
Carl.
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Sorry to drag up this year old thread but I seem to have become a victim of this VW service trick.
At 11 months old and 6000 [motorway] miles the service indicator came on in my '03 polo, the same day as the battery and coil pack were changed at the roadside after another breakdown.
On phoning VW I am informed that as I am on 'variable' servicing my car needs a 24,000 mile service @£265 and an inspection service only may invalidate the warranty. When questioning why I need a 24,000 mile service after 6000 miles I am told that it's because my engine has 'long-life oil'!
Eh? the normal stuff can't last long then :-].
On speaking directly to the garage they suggest bringing the car in so that they can reset the service indicator to zero. Then I would just have to make sure that I did get the full service done before 2 years were up. At that service the garage can then reset the service regime back to the more normal 'extended'.
BTW I was not aware that i was on 'variable' servicing and was certainly never given a choice.
Has anyone else had this experience? If so, how did you handle it.
Thanks,
CF.
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Sorry Ravster, forgot to add, if as you say, the car is set up for extended service regime, then what VW told you is correct. The display on the car will countdown (or should that be countup!) to the first 10,000 service interval.
Carl.
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Thanks for your help with this guys
I think I'll go for the 10,000 service (at least that way any issues will come to light sooner rather than later).
Cheers
Ravster
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I don't think the VW dealers will have a clue. My last (very last) VW had "variable service intervals" allegedly. The handbook said service every 10,000 miles. The service book said every 12,000 and left to its own devices the little indicator light came on at 12,500 (20k km?). The "countdown" of "miles to service" started at about 10000 miles but couldn't do simple maths.
The supplying dealer had no idea. I decided on 12000.
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are about once a month if you have a Mk iV Golf!!
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2 VW main agents were confused about the service intervals for my Mk4 Golf. I settled for 10k & 20k. I also got several opinions about when the cam belt change is due - on a Gti 1.8t. Finally I got someone to show me their service schedule and it is due at 120,000 miles(not Km). The wisdom of leaving it that long has been discussed endlessly in the Backroom, but that is what the manufacturer states on at least one computer program.
There is no doubt that there is a concerted campaign amongst dealers to 'talk down' imports - my VW came from Ireland and SWMBO has a Toyota from Belgium. Both to full UK spec and the VIN shows that they were manufactured in Germany and Japan. So sadly they are imports and not 'genuine UK cars' that are apparently so much superior if the dealers are to be believed.
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